Latest / Daily Influence / 814. Leading with Purpose: How Representation and Responsible Influence Create Lasting Change

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814. Leading with Purpose: How Representation and Responsible Influence Create Lasting Change · Daily Influence

• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Daily Influence, your daily dose of positive influence.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Brian Smith founder of IA Business Advisors and co-author of the Iain team series.
• 0:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Each day we share stories and insights to help you find be and build your influence in a positive and responsible way.
• 0:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm Greg Clino, partner at IA Business Advisors, and co-host of Daily Influence.
• 0:32
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• 0:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Daily Influence, I'm Greg Clino.
• 0:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: Before we dive in, I want to share a quick note.
• 0:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: We recently launched the Smart Advantage newsletter, which offers practical insights on leadership, accountability, workplace culture, and building a stronger business delivered to your inbox weekly.
• 1:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you're looking for simple, actionable ideas, you can apply in your business or leadership role, you can find the link to subscribe in the show notes below.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: And now let's move into today's conversation, where we'll continue exploring the ideas, actions and influence that helps us lead and live with greater influence.
• 1:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Today, we're joined by Dr. Laura McGowan, Robinson, founder and CEO of the diversity in leadership institute and organization dedicated to developing and supporting racially diverse and culturally competent school leaders across California.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: A lifelong educator, former school founder, and advocate for equity and education, Laura has spent her career creating pathways for leaders who positively impact students, schools, and communities.
• 1:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Her work is rooted in the belief that leadership is not just about position, it's about responsibility, representation,
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  [SPEAKER_01]: and creating environments where others can thrive.
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  [SPEAKER_01]: Today, we'll explore how intentional influence, resilience, and leadership can create lasting change.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Laura, welcome to Daily Influence.
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for having me.
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  [SPEAKER_01]: Laura, your work today is impacting educational leaders across the entire state of California.
• 2:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: But every mission starts with a personal journey.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Your journey began as a classroom teacher and eventually led to founding the diversity and leadership institute.
• 2:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Looking back, what experiences mentors or defining moments shaped your belief that leadership representation matters so deeply, and how did those experiences influence the leader you become today?
• 2:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would say it evolved, right?
• 2:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: My earliest mentor or inspiration would be my grandmother.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Even though she was never a school leader, she was very much a leader in our family, a leader in the community, she was a share offer from the Mississippi Delta.
• 3:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: She always had a desire to become an educator, which I later learned after I became an educator, but unfortunately, because of the circumstances in which she was born, she wasn't able to.
• 3:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: achieve education beyond it's great.
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so because of that at the time you needed to at least have completed middle school to become a teacher was she was born in 1917.
• 3:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: And she, she, when they would do that, but she was an avid reader, and ultimately she was a teacher just without the, you know, traditional or, you know, traditional credentials, if you will, right, but she was very much an educator.
• 4:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: All of her children did a back graduate from high school and my mother was the only other 16 to finish her undergraduate degree.
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was five when my mother graduated and it was something that I remember very vividly and my my mother telling me that I would to accomplish this and I would do it right after high school so some of my earliest.
• 4:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: and fondness memories of very strong women where the matriarch of our family.
• 4:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: and my grandmother and their desire to make sure that I had opportunities to go further than they did.
• 4:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then fast school, when ultimately I became a student and started to navigate high school and college, I always had examples of leaders who not only look like me, but were committed to my success.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: and saw something in me that quite frankly at times I did not see in myself.
• 5:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Those were my earliest principles, my elementary school principal who I remember fondly, and then even as I had the opportunity to to matriculate from college, I
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I started to see fewer and fewer examples of folks who look like me as I moved away were in the positions and that was striking to me and I wanted to know why that was and once I had a chance to grow in my leadership do some research and start to find out more about educational inequities and opportunities that that some some did not have
• 5:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Many of those folks who look like me, I wanted to figure out how I can, how I could make a difference because someone made that difference for me.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: What an inspiring story.
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for sharing that.
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: One of the things I appreciate about your work is that it goes beyond theory.
• 6:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It focuses on creating measurable outcomes for students and educators.
• 6:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Can you share a specific story where supporting or developing a leader, created a ripple effect that positively impacted an entire school or community?
• 6:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: And what did that experience teach you about the power of responsible influence?
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's so many incredible stories that I've had the opportunity to witness and play a small part in, but one that really stands out for me is a young principal who is in Los Angeles and had the opportunity to take the lead at a middle school.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: leader, I can possibly be in this school, but she realized that her role, one, she was an African American woman, was much larger than just being a really great instructional leader.
• 7:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: She found that she'd become a mentor to many of her students, but one of particular who never had an African
• 7:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: And what's a heart and parents would say to her, wow, like we're so glad to have you, like we've never had a principal who looked like us, or maybe she didn't necessarily have the same racial background as them, but they didn't fact never had that experience.
• 7:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: having a principal who was African-American, and that student wanted to go on and do more and go further, but I don't know the impact that she had with that particular student, but the impact that she was seeing that she was having with families, and the opportunity to be an advocate in some cases.
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: where folks may not have recognized that they had biases that were negatively impacting a particular group of students, that she was able to call out and say, hey, I want to say that this is happening, and I want us to do better, and these are some ways that I think we could do that.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: So having an impact on the students, their families, but then ultimately she became a mentor to the assistant principal and other leadership staff members
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And sadly, you had to transition from that school to go take care of our mother on the East Coast.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: But those administrators that she mentored are now taking up the mantle.
• 8:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And one of those administrators has gone through our program as well.
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that ripple effect is not only impacting future generations of students, but also future generations of leaders, which is really exciting.
• 8:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that is exciting.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Many people see successful leaders and organizations, but they rarely see the obstacles behind the scenes.
• 9:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Building a movement around equity and leadership development undoubtedly comes with resistance, setbacks, or moments of uncertainty.
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  [SPEAKER_01]: Can you share a challenge that tested your resolve?
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  [SPEAKER_01]: And what leadership lesson emerged from that experience that others can apply in their own organizations?
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: There are two stories that I kind of might know this show isn't that long, so I'm going to go, I'm going to pick one of the two that come to my, as a leader, I'm also an entrepreneur, right?
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I've been a school founder, as you mentioned, in the introduction, and I'm also a nonprofit founder.
• 9:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I would say I have the knack for family things, probably not the best time.
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  [SPEAKER_02]: So I went on the journey to found my school back in 2008.
• 9:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that was when the economic crisis was happening.
• 9:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I found a diversity and leadership institute in 2020 or 2019, 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic.
• 10:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: So those two things presented quite a few challenges,
• 10:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: is really too to the school.
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  [SPEAKER_02]: I had very high hopes.
• 10:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was on the journey to found the school in South Los Angeles.
• 10:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was also during a time, again, economic crisis.
• 10:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: We were experiencing the same things in California that we were experiencing at the federal level.
• 10:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the state wasn't necessarily releasing the funds on the schedule that they would normally release funds to schools.
• 10:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: and they were withholding some of those funds to ensure that they could keep a state running and running a public school.
• 10:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're pretty much guaranteed and people will know that ultimately they will receive their paychecks, but there was a delay.
• 10:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And for a brand new school, we didn't necessarily have the reserves.
• 10:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was founding a school, you know, that it was just opening and when we opened our doors, we were severely under enrolled.
• 11:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so there was a point where I didn't know whether or not the school would continue because we didn't have enough students and the Monday wasn't flowing in from from the state.
• 11:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so we rolled up our sleeves, we locked this campaign to try to get
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: And ultimately we were successful and that the school launched in 2010 because there was a two year planning period when we started and that school still exists today.
• 11:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we now serve grades K through 12 over a thousand students in the West Adams Jefferson Park area.
• 11:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: But there were moments where I did not know if we would be able to continue.
• 11:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so because all of all of the
• 11:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: This was impossible.
• 11:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is an impossible thing to do.
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I also believe that I'm here for purpose and I believe that education is a calling and so I continue to push through even what seemed to be insurmountable odds and we were able to to make it through and how many students have come through those doors now are in the thousands and what would have happened
• 12:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: packed it up and went home, but I'm so grateful that we had a community around us who world up their sleeves to make sure that our door stayed open.
• 12:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: What a great story.
• 12:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for sharing that in congratulations so that, and persevering through that challenging time.
• 12:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: Coming out positively on the other end.
• 12:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: One of the themes we often discuss on daily influence is that positive influence doesn't happen accidentally.
• 12:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: It requires intention.
• 12:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: For business owners, educators and community leaders listening today, what is a practical framework or process you use to intentionally develop future leaders.
• 13:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: For me, and this is part of the framework that we use in our.
• 13:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Fellowship Program, it's culturally responsive leadership.
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  [SPEAKER_02]: One of the very first pieces of that is self-reflection.
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  [SPEAKER_02]: It is holding the mirror up on a regular basis to see where some of the areas that I may be struggling in or failing in or ways that I might be perpetuating inequities
• 13:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: And in my own work that I want to disrupt and how what what do I need to do on a daily basis to one recognize that this is the area that I'm working on and this is how I'm moving forward to to constantly to fix that so I would say self reflection would would be one area of
• 13:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: The other one is, especially when you're working with other leaders, recognizing the gift and talents that they already bring.
• 14:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: No one comes to us with a blank slate, and so one thing that I'm always committed to doing is like, what is that brilliant that this candidate, that this, you know, a spy?
• 14:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: fire and principal has that we can just continue to like cultivate so they can shine right and how do we let them know that this is actually something that you are doing quite well and like we want to build on that for you and so I would I would say recognize that folks are already coming to you with incredible skills and passions and how how can you help cultivate I would say this is a third piece how can you use your gifts and talents to help.
• 14:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: cultivate the gifts and talents of others, right?
• 14:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: How do you, how do I use my relationships, my network, my knowledge to support the next generation of leaders?
• 15:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I believe that that is a core piece of what I'm here to do, and so how do I live into that?
• 15:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: How do I live
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: with folks holding up an ear seeing other gifts and talents and other individuals and they using your own gifts and talents to make room space and opportunity for others to be.
• 15:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and leadership often comes down to the small habits that we practice continuously.
• 15:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: What are some specific leadership habits or behaviors that help create environments where people feel seeing, valued, and empowered to contribute?
• 15:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: For me, one thing that I do on the constant basis with my team, and they'll probably tell you this, and it probably isn't exciting every time I do it.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: through inquiry.
• 15:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I asked them questions.
• 16:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I asked them would instead of, you know, maybe then bringing a problem.
• 16:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: I asked them, okay, well, what would you propose we do?
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  [SPEAKER_02]: What solution would you like to put on the table?
• 16:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: And, and.
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's sometimes it's easy for someone to bring a problem and for the leader to solve it, but if we are committed to this work and we're committed to the mission of an organization, this isn't one mission held by one person, this is a mission that, in fact, have the word
• 16:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: movement and movement building.
• 16:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: So if one person is doing that, that's not creating movement, movement requires collective collective thought, us making a commitment.
• 16:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: to come together and really figure these heart things out together.
• 16:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: So for me, it's really, again, I thought talked about making space for other folks to lead.
• 17:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Recognizing, yes, they're going to be time where I'm going to have to step in and sometimes make the final call.
• 17:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: But how have I, you know, engaged the rest of the team or those who I'm working with to be a part of that decision making?
• 17:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: that's great advice.
• 17:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Your career has touched classrooms, school systems, leadership development programs, and countless lives along the way.
• 17:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you could sit down with your younger self at the beginning of your teaching career in Chicago, what advice would you give her about influence, leadership, and staying grounded in purpose, and why is that advice still relevant for leaders today?
• 17:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: When I first started my teaching career, I was very eager to make change facts.
• 17:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: And in some respects, that hasn't gone away, but I think what I would say to my younger self is this is a life's work.
• 18:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: This will be your life's work, essentially.
• 18:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: You may not see all of the fruits of your labor while you're alive, but the job of each generation I believe is to leave this planet, this world better than we found it.
• 18:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: make the world a better place, recognizing that there may be some things that you are able to see in terms of the fruits of your labor, and there may be some things that you are not.
• 18:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think the other part of that question was, why is that important?
• 19:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: I believe that, you know, eager young leaders who want changed yesterday.
• 19:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that my said is important.
• 19:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: but I also think that we have to make sure that we take time to rest, take time to rejuvenate, at point, tap out so that we can tap back in.
• 19:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because if you are continuously driving and driving and driving in that way, you're burning the candles at candle at both ends and you aren't able
• 19:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: as as a young leader or as a leader in general.
• 19:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think over time I've learned that you know wrong wasn't built in a day and it's going to take time.
• 19:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so and that is okay because at the end of the day I want to be here to to be the best mom and to be the best leader that the best the best.
• 20:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: you know, student the best doctor the best sister that I can be and I want to be able to do that and be present and so I would I would say a pastry yourself.
• 20:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 20:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's great advice.
• 20:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Laura, as we wrap up, I'd love to leave our listeners with something actionable and meaningful.
• 20:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: When you think about the future of leadership, whether it's education, business, communities, what is one intentional action?
• 20:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: You believe our every person can take this week to create a positive impact on someone else's life.
• 20:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: When I think about some of the struggles
• 20:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: are having right now, particularly K-12 education on profits and fundraising and all of the challenges that we are facing as a sector, I would say donate to your favorite education on
• 21:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: on a regular basis and you will leave, it could be a small monthly donation, some work that you believe in and that you believe is critical to the community and it will go a long way and encourage your friends to do that.
• 21:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: No donation is too small for non-profit.
• 21:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: So think about that as you want to make a difference in your community and your business and the
• 21:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, Laura, for sharing your story, your leadership journey and your commitment to creating opportunities for others to succeed.
• 21:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: If our listeners want to get in touch with you, what is the best way to do so?
• 21:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, they can visit www.diversityandleadership.org.
• 21:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: They can also follow us on our Instagram and our Facebook pages on LinkedIn.
• 22:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's what you can find
• 22:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Great.
• 22:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'll put all that information in the show notes.
• 22:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Laura, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your stories and advice.
• 22:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm so grateful for you.
• 22:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much.
• 22:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: I really appreciate it.
• 22:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for tuning in to daily influence.
• 22:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: If today's conversation was useful, please follow and subscribe on your favorite platform and share this episode with someone that could use a little extra positivity today.
• 22:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: One of the biggest reminders from today's conversation is that influence is rarely about titles.
• 22:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's about choices we make that people we invest in and the environments we help create.
• 22:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Every interaction is an opportunity to encourage and power and elevate someone else.
• 22:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: As you go through your week, I encourage you to think about one intentional action you can take to help someone grow, feel seen, or move closer to their potential.
• 22:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Small actions repeatedly consistently create lasting influence.
• 23:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Remember small actions create, begin to keep showing up, leading and growing one day to two times.
• 23:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Until next time, stay inspired and keep having a positive